Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1887-02-19
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 14th. 1887.

Money for National defense,
money for a new Navy, the trade
dollar question, the Eads' ship rail
way, the backward appropriation
bills, the educational bill, and the
anti-polygamy bill are some of the
subjects to which our lawmakers
have given attention during the
week.
The agitation in all sections of the
country of the subjects ofimmediate
provision for national defense has
had its effect upon both Houses of
Congress. Senate committees and
House committees were busy at the
same time devislng ways and means
for the increase of the Navy and
coast defenses, and they ran race
of diligence to get in first with their
important measures. The Senate
won and is doing nobly with the
question of cruisers, gunboats, forts,
and all sorts of defense.
There has been vast amount of
talk over the Presidents veto of the
Disability Pension bill. This mat
ter presents remarkable spectacle
to the country, and emphasizes the
fact that the ways of the present
Administrator are past finding out.
A Democrat President vetoes a
general pension law in order to en-
able Congress to reduce war taxes,
and a Democrat speaker of the
House of Representatives uses his
power to gag Congress to prevent
the removal of the war tax on
tobacco.
When Capt. Eads' great ship rail
way scheme came up in the Senate
it was advocated by Senator Hoar
as one Of the most important steps
that the American people had taken
for a generation. 1t would give
them control Of the markets of the
world. After sketching the course
of commerce in the past and in the
present he said it would hereafter
seek direct paths. There were two
routes eastward and westward, one
through the Mediterranean sea had
cut Asia and Africa in twain. The
other mot yet OPEN was to divide
the American continent at Tehuan-
tepec.
The Senator thought if Congress
would cooperate with the great
American inventor aud engineer in
his plan for this purpose, it would
go far towards securing future com
mercial supremacy for the United
States. st is not the proposition
Of an adventurer" said he, "Capt.
Eads stakes upon it fame gained
by two OF the greatest engineering
feats OF the age"
Senator Gibson favored all at.
tempts to pierce the isthmus, and
would even applaud the genius of
Lesseps if he were successful in
opening the Panama canal, and
effacing the barrier of the chain of
Cordilleras. He was disposed to
favor any engineering scheme that
was backed by the name of Eads.
And then he said the proposed
route would be continuation of the
Mississippi river in nearly direct
line across the isthmus. The open
ing of the Nicaragua route would in.
yite an issue with France, England
and Spain on the Monroe doctrine.
The Blair Educational bill has
been suppressed in committee by
the distinguished leaders of the
Democratic party, Messrs. Carlisle,
Randall and Morrison. The Repub-
lican members of the committee,
Messrs. Reed and Hiscock, need one
vote to enable them to report the
measure back to the House. A re-
cent canvass of that body satisfied
the member who made it that the
bill would command the support Of
two thirds of the members, if it
could be presented to them for
action.
The people Of Washington are
waiting impatiently for Congress to
take action upon several PROPOSE
tions. They all want Inauguration
day changed from the fourth of
March to the thirteenth of April.
They want an appropriation for run
ming the elevator in the Washing
ton Monument, and they want the
grand memorial bridge that is to
span the Potomac as monument to
General Grant.
There is a fair prospect for the
next President to be inaugurated on
the last Tuesday in April, 1889.
This day is the Centennial year
comes on the day on which Wash
ington was inaugurated in 1890.
Consequently there can be no senti-
mental grounds for objection to the
change. And the reasons in favor
of it are obvious. 1t will add nearly
two months to the short sessions of
Congress, and it will bring the
inaugural ceremonies in the most
delightful season OF the year. The
people of the whole country would
welcome it in the interest CT conven-
fence to the large numbers who
flock here to the inaugurations.
Renews Her Youth.